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Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Some folks will disagree with me, I'm sure, but I have ALWAYS built my own PC using components from Tigerdirect.com. Their printed catalog contains a "key" of sorts with color coded numbers/letters that link a motherboard with the types of processors and memory it takes - just pick out the correctly labeled components and it all works together.

e.g.: Motherboards "A" use Memory "C" and Processors "2" and "3"

Just mix and match depending on your requirements and budget. With today's OS's, it should be pretty much plug and play.

Oh, and make sure the motherboard you get matches the case and power supply you have, otherwise you'll need one of them, too.

One thing I will strongly recommed - get a really good graphics card. It will allow your PC to "last" at least twice as long as without it. Really speeds things up.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Considering how much some of the lower-end new computers cost at Gateway and Dell these days, there really is no savings advantage to building a new computer from scratch like there used to be 3 or more years ago. However if you want the experience of building, it really is easier to do these days compared to the i386 era. Windows handles most of the resource configuration, no dip switches to set for IRQs, DMAs, etc.

I tend to favor Asus and Gigabyte mainboards, and the AMD processors still give a little better price/performance ratio. For heavy graphics work within WinXP, I would try to have 512MB or better of RAM. Look for a good graphics card that has features geared to video/TV editing rather than 3D gaming for your particular needs.

For assembly, it really is mostly a matter of mounting the mainboard, plugging in the connectors for the front panel switches and lights; installing the hard drive, floppy, and optical drive; connecting the drives to the onboard IDE controller (typical); connecting the power cables; installing the processor and fan (this is in no particular recommended order); powering up and installing the OS and software.

All in all, it's a lot easier and costs about the same to call up Dell or visit your local computer shop and tell them what you want in your computer and have them build it.

Lots of other choices as well... This is the Pentium route. You can certianly go the AMD route as well...

Unless cost isn't a concern for you, you might consider a price cap to figure out what you can or can't budge in building your own system. But overall, it should not be difficult to tailor it to your own needs.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

I'm getting ready to build another one for myself(just built one for my brother, and helped by brother-in-law build two soyo based computers a little while back).

First of all Joe, no doubt you can build it yourself.
Second of all, the computer you build should depend on your needs and cost.

First, you will need a motherboard. I like Asus motherboards (A7N8X &amp; P4G8X). But there are a lot of good motherboards out there (soyo,gigabyte,abit &amp; intel). This is where research comes in. This is the core of your computer, this is where you will want to spend the most amount of time selecting a component. Most main mtherboards are in the ATX form. Your mobo selection will also determine which processor (AMD or Intel) and RAM you will use. Many mobos have onboard features (sound,lan &amp; SATA). These may or may not be features you are looking for. Again, RESEARCH,RESEARCH,RESEARCH!!!

Selecting a case for your computer is less complicated. If using an ATX form motherboard, you will have to choose a case that is also in ATX form. The rest is about features, more bays, front side USB &amp; firewire and so on...

A good beefy power supply(at least 350 watts). I've had good luck with Antec.

Video card. This will depend on your needs, and these can get expensive. Since you said your not much of a gamer, a mid-level card will probably do fine. You might want to consider one with a tv tuner and capture ability. maybe an ATI all-in-wonder?

Sound card. Most mobos come with onboard sound so may not want to purchase one unless you want better sound than the onboard sound can offer.

The rest of the components are pretty much what you want, cd-rw, dvd, card readers and so on...

This is where compatability comes in, some components just don't work well together. Video &amp; sound cards seem to be at the top of the list. Sometimes it's hardware, sometimes it's software. It just takes a little troubleshooting, patience(and prayer).

In my experience, you can build a faster, better computer than you can buy from most vendors(compaq, dell). And one that suits your needs to a T. After building my first one, I would never buy another. Accept a Mac!!!!

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

I will concur with QuickBeam about tigerdirect.com. I've ordered several times from them and always had good service. So you should definitely check out their large motherboard selection.

I've never bought PC parts from them as I generally purchase pre-build computers that don't run windows except under emulation [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] But in buying accessories and other computer parts from them I've had good experience.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

I've built my own computer, and it was an unnecessary hassle. True, you get to pick your own top-notch components, and there is the joy of assembly.

However, if anything goes wrong, or you don't get the computer-building bug, it takes up a lot of time to research components, look up prices, reference vendors, wait for shipping, make sure nothing's damaged or backordered, etc. I spent 4 months on my computer, and now I realize that most of those decisions mean nothing.

Computers become so obsolete nowadays I could not recommend buying anything near high-end. My Athlon 1700+ is already ridiculously fast compared with my current computer, a P3 350.

But if you do want to build your computer, here's some advice: don't skimp on the case + PS. Don't get a cheap case that will cut up your knuckles, overheat your processor, have weird voltage spikes, and run out of drive bays. I like Antec's offerings.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

It probably doesn’t matter to most people, but AMD chips tend to use about twice the power of Pentium chips. Not a big deal if you’re on the grid, but if you leave your computer running all the time or live off grid it makes a difference. I would imagine that AMD's would also need larger power supply’s because of this? My Pentium 2 gig pulls about 80w without the monitor, my friends AMD pulls about 190w.

What I would like to do is build something (store bought - particularly Name Brand - has given me a headache).

I intend to go perhaps 1.2 - 1.5g on the processer, am doomed to 56K dialup for the foreseeable future, will do 512 MINIMUM Ram, and will do a BIG HD at least 80g (and hope to hook up the approx 6g in my current 'puter eventually). [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif[/img]

This Gateway has some video issues, but plays the BJ and Pool games okay. It is almost certainly an onboard vid with shared mem, so a mid level graphics card (at least 64k) should do what I want. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

My biggest current problem is Java. Even in Netscape I can't do what winME does on the Gateway. I figure a nice speedy processor and modern OS will take care of that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif[/img]

My current unit was built by a local shop. It has been great, particulary when I put it on a UPS! But all it can really still do well is email, and some browsing. And that shop is gone [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Joe,

You said price was a major issue, I would seriously consider looking into a Dell. For all but High End Systems you are going to save money and headache by buying a Dell. I have been building my own systems since I was 15 back in the 486 Days and while it has gotten easier it is still not easy.

Working as the IT Administrator at my job the biggest problem with computers is software. The hardware goes together pretty easy. Hard to put it in wrong if you pay attention and as long as you don't get into anything to complicated Like a RAID Array or multiple processors or trying to boot multiple operating systems it is not to difficult to do the Operating system installation.

All that said. I would still by a Dell unless you are looking for a gadget fix. If you want to tinker and have the satisfaction of building it yourself then by all means have at it. I order all my parts from http://www.newegg.com Two Sites I would check out http://www.anandtech.com and http://www.hardocp.com Both have a ton of links and awesome articles. I prefer the community in the forum of HardOCP.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Until I got this Dell Dimension 4500, all of my systems have been "garbage dog" pee cees - just motherboards and drop-in cards (mostly ISA) and RAM and keyboards and mouses and monitors that I collected over the years, ranging from parts I got out of dipsty dumpsters, to parts that some CPFers sent, to parts I bought at a local computer shop.
I had crashes ranging from around once a week to many times a day with those - but no fatal crashes on this Dell.
When I restart the Dell, it's of my own free will, not because I got the "blue screen of death" when I try to save a post. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Software is the weak point. I've seen brand new computers running a lot slower and crashing a lot more than my 5 year old P3, because the owners don't take care of their systems. They install any little TSR they find on the internet, randomly download viruses, never defrag, have "cool" animated wallpaper and icons, junk that makes a mess of your OS.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Sharkyextreme's one of the few sites that actually try to build you a decent system at an affordable price. Even though it's considered a "gaming rig", in itself, the parts combined still make for a great general use computer that's more than capable at the graphics/video editing end. The cool thing is, you can probably still shop around for lower prices through Pricewatch, and then splurge on something you really need, like a high Mhz CPU or more Hard Drive space... If you need to go prebuilt system, then I second Dell as the best way to go.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

"Until I got this Dell Dimension 4500, all of my systems have been "garbage dog" pee cees - just motherboards and drop-in cards (mostly ISA) and RAM and keyboards and mouses and monitors that I collected over the years, ranging from parts I got out of dipsty dumpsters, to parts that some CPFers sent, to parts I bought at a local computer shop.
I had crashes ranging from around once a week to many times a day with those - but no fatal crashes on this Dell.
When I restart the Dell, it's of my own free will, not because I got the "blue screen of death" when I try to save a post."
I also have a Dell.
I have tested it for stablity by loading distributed.net(to stress the CPU) and Fear Factor(to stress the GPU) at once, and it passed.
The only downside to Dells is the WTX power supply.
This is overcome by the fact that the stock Dell power supplies are very good(probably modified Antec Truepowers), and the WTX power supply allows for instant-on.
If the power supply blows it's top, you're screwed, but most computers become obsolete long before something wears out(as an example, my Pentium Pro blew it's power supply sometime last year).

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

I used to recommend building your own system as that's what I used to do for a living but now I tell people to just buy Dell. The price/performance level isn't worth it IMO, to build your own unless you need absolutely top end with exactly the specifications you want. Processor speed is a given....it's hard to even find any new systems under a P4 2.0G. I think 60-80G hard drives are the norm as well, even for starter systems. Most contain a built in combo NIC/modem card but you would of course want to make sure of this if you still need a modem. The lowest end systems will stick you with built in sound and video but you can upgrade both and get something decent for your needs for not much more money. Certainly I think you can get a Dell system for under a grand that will fit your needs, depending on choice of monitor.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

Hi Guys,

My biggest problem with vendor built systems is the useless software they put on it. It takes up drive space and hogs your system resources. And can sometimes be a real pain to get it off your computer without removing directory files if you can remove it at all. The second biggest problem is the limited amount of information about the system(jumpered &amp; jumperless settings, motherboard info, overclocking, etc.) when upgrading. Not to mention the ability to upgrade at all. Although some vendors are better at offering this info than others, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

If you're tech-savvy, you can kill any software you don't want from your preset computer, edit registry keys out and clean up any unused progs. Even things like MSN Messenger can be nixed if you don't want it there...

You can go to places like www.tweakxp.com (For WinXP) and tweak to your heart's desire to make a factory bought computer with all its software junk run as if it was freshly installed with only the OS...

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

I am more confused and frightened now than I was when I started. I cruised Frys awhile this afternoon. I saw a mind boggling array of stuff.

Just picking a case looks like a nitemare. Some have PS, some don't. Some have fans, many have one. Lots have a door over the drives and switches. Yuck.

MBs, eek! The EPoX EP-8RDA+ looks as good as many, but is also at the lower end of the price scale. And at Frys it says it supports 1800+ max. Although some website I saw had the guy using a 2100+ on his.

It looks like no less than $1000 is going to do it.

A shop not far from me has a printed flyer with systems on it. Best looking one (ONLY one of 2 out of 8) with a real Vid card (GF4 Ti4200 128MB DDR/TV out) also has Gigabyte GA-7VAX/DDR400 MB, AMD XP 2400/Microfin Fan, 60g WD 7200rpm HDD, modem, lan, DVD, CDRW, Altec Lansing AVS300 Speakers, and XP Home Full version OEM. All for $969.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

[ QUOTE ]PlayboyJoeShmoe said:
A shop not far from me has a printed flyer with systems on it. Best looking one (ONLY one of 2 out of 8) with a real Vid card (GF4 Ti4200 128MB DDR/TV out) also has Gigabyte GA-7VAX/DDR400 MB, AMD XP 2400/Microfin Fan, 60g WD 7200rpm HDD, modem, lan, DVD, CDRW, Altec Lansing AVS300 Speakers, and XP Home Full version OEM. All for $969.

Not sure I could beat that with a stick!

[/ QUOTE ]

Based on you original post I would ask the retailer if an ATI All-in-Wonder video card could be substituted for the GeForce 4 card (has built in TV tuner and the extra goodies to help with creating/editting video on a PC) and for what difference in price. Otherwise, looks good if the retailer doesn't skimp on the case or RAM.

Re: Computer Questions? LONG!

[ QUOTE ]BF Hammer said:
Based on you original post I would ask the retailer if an ATI All-in-Wonder video card could be substituted for the GeForce 4 card (has built in TV tuner and the extra goodies to help with creating/editting video on a PC)

[/ QUOTE ]

Why an ATI AIW? He never mentioned anything about making video.

IMHO, the ATI AIW is a marvel of inefficiency. I've got two computers with AIW Radeon 7500's. I bought them for one purpose only: to record TV programs for archival purposes. If this is what you want to do, then I can support that.

It's dumb to watch TV on a computer. TVs work so well already. If you don't plan to do any long-term storage of the programs, but you like the idea of temporary digital storage, get a Tivo.